Search begins for new chancellor, the first in 26 years

The search for a new chancellor — the first since 1988 — officially began Tuesday, Jan. 14, at University of Wisconsin-Stout with the initial meeting of the search and screen committee.

UW System interim President
Richard Telfer, chancellor at UW-Whitewater, issued the charge to the committee
and listed some of the skills and personal qualities they should consider when
they narrow the pool of candidates to a list of finalists.

"This is a unique
institution with a special mission. It's important to find someone comfortable
with that mission," Telfer said of UW-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic
University.

Telfer said the finalists
should have high academic standards, be a good internal and external fit for
the campus and community, be a diverse group, have good leadership and
management skills, be good listeners, have the stamina to handle what often is
a round-the-clock job and have a passion for public service. A good sense of
humor is a plus, he added.

UW System Regent Andrew
Peterson called the work of the search and screen committee a "critically and
vitally important process. We've had great leadership under Chancellor Sorensen.
We have big shoes to fill."

Telfer suggested
that committee members familiarize themselves with the duties of a chancellor
by interviewing outgoing UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen, other area
chancellors and Don Mash, a committee member and former UW-Eau Claire
chancellor.

The meeting was held
at UW-Stout's Memorial Student Center.

The search and
screen committee timetable includes:

Mid-March: Review applications

Early April: Interview 10 to 12 semifinalists off campus

Late April: Narrow the list of candidates to at least five

April 30: Name at least five finalists

The list of
finalists will be given to incoming UW System President Ray Cross and a special
Board of Regents committee, chaired by Peterson.

The special Regent
committee is scheduled to announce its choice May 23, and the full Board of
Regents is scheduled to vote on the selection June 5-6, with the new chancellor
expected to begin work in mid-August.

Sorensen has announced he is retiring effective Aug. 15,
completing 26 years. He is the longest-serving leader in the school's 123-year
history.

The 21-member search
and screen committee is chaired by Petre (Nelu) Ghenciu, UW-Stout associate professor in the
mathematics department and chair of the Faculty Senate. Other committee members
represent the UW System, student body, faculty, staff and the community.

The committee will
hold public forums, both on and off campus, to solicit suggestions from the
campus community and area residents. The forums tentatively are scheduled
between Monday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 29.

"You represent a lot
of different people," Telfer told the committee, "but there are voices not in
this room, and those voices need to be heard."

A search firm has
been retained "to provide the most qualified and diverse pool of candidates
possible," Telfer said, but he also asked committee members to "be involved in
proactive recruitment. We want you to sell the institution."

The salary range of
the new chancellor will be between $205,000 and $307,000.

A website
has been created to keep the campus and the public apprised of the search and
screen process.